This blog contains progress reports and thoughts on my many ongoing projects, with occasional stories about my family and life in general.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Speedy Cabled Cowl Pattern

I decided to make a cowl to go with the beret and I convinced my reluctant model to pose for a few more shots. This was another fast and easy project that took about an hour in all to make. The pattern is below.

Materials: 1 skein Sirdar Big Softie10mm knitting needles

Note about materials: I used almost an entire skein of the Sirdar Big Softie yarn. If your tension is looser than mine, you might want to buy an extra skein for safety, or you can do one fewer row of ribbing on either end, and it won't affect the look of the cowl much. If you are also making the matching beret, then 3 skeins will be more than enough for both projects.

Abbreviations:M1: Make an additional stitch by working into previous row between current and next stitch.C4: Place next two stitches on a cable needle and hold in front of work. Knit next two stitches on left-hand needle. Then knit two stitches from cable needle.K2tog: Knit two together.P2tog: Purl two togetherSSK: Decrease with a slip, slip, knit.

Next row (RS): *P2, SSK, K2tog*. Repeat from * to * until one stitch remains. P1. (41 stitches)Next row (WS): K1. *P2, K2*. Repeat from * to * to end of row.Next row (RS): *P2, K2*. Repeat from * to * until last stitch. P1.Next row (WS): K1. *P2, K2* Repeat from * to * until end of row.

Assume repeat the cable pattern 3 or 4 times before the ending ribbing? -same patt converted to in the round:using US-15 (10mm) 16" circulars(eor = end of round)Instructions:cast on 41 stitches. Join by P first & last st tog, careful not to twist (40st)

Susie, thanks for posting the in-the-round instructions. In the cowl shown, and as stated in the pattern, the 8 rows are not repeated. However, you can certainly extend the length by doing more rows. Note that the first six rows make up one pattern repeat.

Emily, I picked up the yarn at the Waterloo Knitter's Fair, and I honestly can't remember which vendor had sold it to me. However, if you Google Sirdar Big Softie, you'll find various shops that carry it. If you are a member of Ravelry and look up the pattern there, you'll see photos of the cowl made by other members in different types of yarns.

This is amazing! Thanks for posting! I just started knitting 2 weeks ago and wanted to give something to my stepmom who just moved back to winter weather from a tropical country. She desperately needs a scarf, but with Xmas being next week, this was perfect!

I was just wondering..for the "in the round" version of this pattern..How is it that you are able to have just 40 stitches after cast on? Would we not have to purl every first stich in each row? I'm a newbie and am confused from the difference between the flat pattern and round pattern. Thanks!

Lindsey, to start off on the round, just leave off the last stitch (so you do the first 40 of the first row).

Are you on Ravelry? If not, I highly recommend you get an account. It's a great resource. Anyhow, this pattern is on Ravelry and a lot of knitters have done this one in the round. If you select the Projects page and enter "round" in the search box, you'll see their tips on how to do this in the round in the comments sections.

Hi Janie,Have you tried looking at the Ravelry site for this pattern? A lot of knitters have done this hat in different yarns and different gauges, and many have left notes on their project pages describing how they've altered the pattern. You might be able to find what you need there.

I've made this for myself && I love it! My friend asked me to make her one too :) Unfortunately this size didn't quite fit her, so I've been trying to knit increase the stitches but it just hasn't been working out. Any suggestions??

Hi Christina,Probably the easiest way to increase the size is to use thicker yarn and/or larger needles. Have you tried looking at the project page for this pattern on Ravelry? A number of knitters have adjusted the pattern and used different yarns. You might get some good ideas from them. Thanks for your comments about the pattern and good luck!

I just started this cabled cowl in Wool-Ease and I couldn't stop. So I kept knitting until I made the whole damn thing. And then, before even getting out of my chair, I sewed it up and put it on! Wild. Thank you.